The Colosseum is the largest and most famous amphitheater ever built in the Roman Empire. Its construction was started by emperor Vespasian of the Flavian dynasty in 72 AD and was finished by his son Titus in 80 AD.
Rome was a center of learning, trade and commerce for ages and has contributed significantly in the development of these areas. The origin of the word “Coliseum”, probably comes from the colossal statue of Nero which once stood near the stadium.
Originally was the Flavian Amphitheatre, an elliptical amphitheater situated in the core of the city of Rome. It is one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering. The building was constructed by emperors of the Flavian tradition, henceforth its unique name. In antiquity, Romans may have alluded to the Colosseum by the informal name Amphitheatrum Caesareum; this name could have been carefully poetic.
The construction began under the rule of the Vespasian Emperor around 70-72. The site was a flat area on the floor of a low valley between the Caelian, Esquiline and Palatine hills, through which a canalized stream ran. Later the area was densely inhabited by the 2nd century. In 1749, the Pope Benedict XIV blessed the structure to the Passion of Christ and installed Stations of the Cross, declaring it sanctified by the blood of the Christian martyrs who perished there.
